Fire escape



G. SCHOLER FIRE ESCAPE May 24, 1927.

Filed May 1 1926 2 Sheets-Shut 1 4 5 a M 5 4 e d y f d p 1 1 d H o 7 M a a I I 45 J i 7 w M 5 w 1 HWHWH W P NWW WT. U% W fl v. u 2 6 m B 1% Q 4 M B Q m 2 M w m 3 B 2 1i C. H- Wm H May 1927' G. SCHOLER FIRE ESCAPE F e May 19 1926 2 Sheets-Shoot 2 INVENTOR 61/5 244 501045? BY Mm m A TTORNEY Patented May 24, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATE QFQ.

GUSTAV SCHOLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Application filed May 19,

This invention relates to fire escapes and more particularly to means for such purpose which utilize gratings or the like normally serving to cover openings, such as windows, in the outer walls of buildings, but which are adapted for use, when shifted to different positions, to facilitate the passage of persons from one floor to another or be tween a floor and the ground. I

The invention is of particular utility in connection with buildings in which it is'necessary to have gratings over the windows, as for example in a'sylums or prisons. Buildings for such purposes are usually arranged to accommodate as many inmates as possible and consequently, while under ordinary conditions it is necessary to prevent escape of the inmates through the windows, it is desirable in case of fire to provide at desired points avenues of escape in addition to regular fire escapes with whichthe building may be equipped.

An important object of the invention is to provide advantageous means for meeting the aforesaid requirements.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide suitable means, including gratings for barring the windows, whereby fire escapes may be provided at different points as required in emergencies.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a grating and an attachment normally positioned within the boundaries of the grating propcrbut which may be shifted with reference to the grating to give increased length thereto when used'as a ladder.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a grating of the character referred to which is normally locked to confine the inmates of the building but which can be opened from the outside to permit entry of firemen in case of fire.

Other objects of the invention are to provide advantageous means to lock the gratings in closed position over the windows; devices attached to said gratings and serving both as part of such locking. means and as means'to keep the grating. when used as a ladder from swinging inwardly toward the wall or into the next window below; and means forholding any one'of said gratings in horizontal position to serve asa platform to facilitate the passage'of persons between corresponding floor and the next time i above.-

1926. Serial N0. 110,054.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of my invention with a grating in closed position at one window and with a grating at another window in depending position for use as a ladder;

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the line 2 2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing one grating in depending position and the'grating at the next lower window supported in position to serve as a platform;

Fig. 4 is a view partly in section illustrating details for locking a grating in closed po sition;

Fig. 5 is a View in section taken along the line 55 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating a single device as used for looking a grating in closed position or for supporting it in substantially horizontal position.

Fig. 1 illustrates a portion of a wall 10'of a building including two vertically alined window openings 11 bounded by lintels 12 at the top and sills 13 at'the bottom. and as shown in Fig. 2, these window openings are provided with suitable window frames 14 and sashes 15 located near the inner side of the relatively thick wall.

Each of the window openings is provided with a grating 16 preferably formed with transverse bars 17 and longitudinal bars 18, a top frame member 19 and side frame members 20 pivotally connected at their lower' ends with the wall 10. Preferably each grating 16 when closed is located close to the corresponding window frame 14 and in order that it may be swung outwardly and downwardly to a substantially vertical depending position, it is necessary to have thepivotal axis spaced a suflicient distance from the closed grating on the side toward the outer face of the wall. To this end each side frame member 20 may be provided with an outward extension pivoted at 21 to a lug 22 on a member 23 secured to the wall 10 at the outer face thereof. It will be evident that, withthis arrangement, each grating 16 may be'swung downwardly to a position, shown in dot and dash lines in F ig 2, such that it may be'used as a ladder in passing from'one windowto'the other.

In buildings the relation between ti l the height of a window opening and the distance between its sill and the hotel of the next lower window may be such that the grating when used as a conununicatiug ladder may be rather short. To obviate this difiiculty each grating 16 may be provided with an extension grating 24, preferably connected therewith by pivots 25 so it may be folded down along the grating 16 as indicated in full lines at the top of the upper window in Fig. 2 or may hang down from the lower end of the grating 16 when in depending position, as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2. V Locking of each grating may be effected by means including a cross member 26pref erably pivoted centrally on one of the transverse bars 17. As shown in Fig. 5, this cross member 26when substantially in alinement with the bar 17 on which it is pivoted extends in close proximity to the side frame members 20. The member 26 is provided with outwardly extending end portions 27 having at their outer ends, just outside of said wall, lugs 28, so that the left hand lug 28 (Fig. 1) may be swung downwardly between the wall and the upper part of a catch or bracket 29 and. at the same time the right hand lug 28 may be swung upwardly between the wall and a catch or bracket 30. l/Vhen in this position the cross member 26 acts to lock the grating 16 in closed position. To hold the cross member in this position, use may be made of a padlock 31 placed over the member 26 and the bar 17 on which the member 26 is pivoted, the padlock being held in position along the member 26 by engaging in a notch 32 in a flange 33 of the cross member 26. Preferably, as indicated in Fig. 5, the member 26 is separated from the corresponding bar 17 by a washer 34 through which passes the pivot 35, preferably a rivet. When the padlock 31 is unlocked by the key 36 and removed, the cross member 26 may be swung in clockwise direction (Fig. 1) to unlock the grating which may then be swung downwardly to the dot-and-dash position of Fig. 2, the cross member 26 then serving to bridge the lower window opening and thereby limit the inward swing of the grating.

Vhile the gratings may, as shown in Fig. 2, be used to form a tire escape all the way down the side of the building, the arrangement may be varied when it is sufficient or necessary to descend only to a certain floor. In that case the grating 16 for that floor may be positioned horizontally as illustrated in Fig. 3 and supported in this position by chains 37 having at their lower ends hooks engaging in openings 38 in the side frame members 20 and having links at their upper ends engaging the catches 29 and 30. As shown in Fig. 3,the portion of the catch 29 which holds one of the lugs 28 also holds the upper link of the corresponding chain 37; and, as shown in Fig. 6, the catch 30 is provided with a hook extension 39 to hold the corresponding chain 37.

It will be evident that when the gratings are locked in closed position they will be effective in preventing escape through the windows and that in case of emergency" the locks may be quickly removed by attendants from within or by firemen from the outside, and the gratings used as part of fire escapes. An important advantage resides in the feature of ability to provide a fire escape at any desired point and with minimum delay.

It should be understood that many changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts and that some parts can be used without others, without de parting from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a building wall having an opening therein, of a prisoner grating adapted to prevent egress through said opening or to serve as a ladder, means connecting said grating with said wall but permitting the grating to be shifted from a position to bar said opening to a position to depend from said opening and serve as a ladder for descent from said opening, means to prevent unauthorized shifting of the grating from position to bar the opening, and a device attached to, said grating and located between the ends of said grating when the grating is closed and serving as an extension of the ladder when the grating is in depending position.

2. The combination with a building wall having a window opening therein, of a grating to cover said window and adapted to serve as a ladder, pivotal connections between the wall and the lower end of the grating to permit the grating to swing to a position to depend from the sill of the window opening, fastening means secured to said wall at the upper part of said window opening, a latch member shiftably mounted on said grating to cooperate with said fastening means for locking said grating in closed position and serving to hold. the grating, when used as a ladder, from swinging toward the wall. if

3. The combination with a building wall having a window opening therein, of a grating to cover saidwindow and adapted to serve as a ladder, pivotal connections between the wall and the lower end of the grating to permitthe grating to swing to a depending position, fastening devices secured to said wall at opposite sides of said window opening, and a latch member centrally pivoted on said grating, to cooperate with said devices for locking said grating in closed position and adapted to bridge alit! lower window opening and prevent the grating from swinging into the same.

t. The combination with a building all having therein a window opening and a window frame in said pening and spaced inwardly from the outer face of the wall, ot' a grating to bar said window opening and pivoted at its lower end to said wall to permit the swinging thereei into the window opening close to said window frame and outw; rdly and downwardly into depending position. and means for locking the grating in closed position and including a bar cen trally pivoted on said grating and having its ends positioned outwardly from said grating and extending outside of the outer surface of the wall at the sides of the open ing. and holding devices in the wall at opposite sides of the opening to receive the ends of said bar when swung about its pivot.

5. The combination with a building wail having therein a window opening and a window frame in said opening and spaced inwardly from the outer 't'aee ot the wall: ot' a grating to bar said window opening and pivoted at its lower end to said (all to permit the swinging thereot into the window opening close to said window t'rame and outwardly and downwardly into depen-Lling position for use as a ladder: and means tor locking the grating in closed position including fastening devices in the wall on opposite sides of said opening, one device be ing opened upwardly and the other downwardly, and a bar Centrally pivoted on said grating and having its ends positioned ontwardly from the said grating and parallel thereto so as to extend outside 05 the outer surface of the all at the sides of the opening and to enter said fastening: devices when the bar is swung in one direction and out ot said devices when swung in the opposite direction.

(3. The combiinltion with a building wall having therein a window opening and a window frame in said opening and spaced inwardly from the outer faee of the wall: of a grating adapted to prevent persons tron: passing through said window open ing and pivoted at its lower end to said wall to permit the swil'lging thereot' into the vvll'ltlUW opening close to said *indow frame and outwardly and downwardly into depending position for use as a ladder; and

means for locking the grating in closed position and including a bar centrally pivoted on said grating to be close thereto for the greater part of its length and having parts extending outwardly at the sides of the window opening and ottset ends to extend paraliel with the outer surface of the wall at the sides ot the opening, and holding deia the wall at opposite sides of the opening to receive the ends of said bar when swung about its pivot and adapted for use in holding the grating in horizontal position.

7. The eombination with a building wall having a window opening therein, of a n-isoner gratin' normally positioned vertirally at a suln antial distance inward from the outer edge of the window sill, means for positively locking the grating in normal position to prevent egress of the prisoners through the window. arms rigid with the grating at the lower end thereof and extending horizontally outward along the win- (t w sill. and means pivotally supporting the arms at their outer ends for swinging movement about an axis substantially midway between the normal position of the grating and the outer edge of the window rill whereby the grating may he swung to a depending"; position. when un ocked. to form a fire escape ladde". said arn'is being adapted to re t upon the window sill when the grating swung to depending position to support the grating stably from the window sill.

8. The combination with a building wall having a window opening therein, of a grating adapted normally to bar the opening. means supporting the grating for pivotal movement about an axis outwardly displaced with reference to the grating to enable the grating? to he swung to a depending position 21 a distance outward from the wall, and ni-ans carried by the grating t'or engaging the wall when the grating is swung to depending position to support and steady the grating in substantial parallel sm with the wall so that a person using the grating as a tire eseape will be assured free and lirrn tooling throughout the length of the grating.

in te'timony whereof I have atlixed my signature to this specification.

GUSTAV SCHOLER. 

